Everything You Need To Know To Prepare for a Voluntourism Trip

Like the idea of a trip that involves a social or environmental dimension and connecting with people? Then voluntourism could be for you. But this hotly debated tourism model can sometimes see worthy intentions collide with resolutely business-driven concerns. Before you plan your trip, take the time to get clear about what’s on offer and separate fact from fiction.

You've probably already been targeted by a slew of marketing campaigns from voluntourism agencies. Featuring tear-jerking visuals and idyllic backdrops, they invite you to help change the world with a dual-purpose trip combining volunteering and tourism. The concept is simple: you give your time to pitch in with a social or environmental project in a developing country or isolated area in exchange for an unforgettable travel experience. However, some voluntourism schemes will happily tap into your social and environmental conscience to sell you a trip at an inflated price.

There are a few ways to easily distinguish voluntourism programmes from humanitarian travel:

• Length of stay: Humanitarian trips are longer, lasting several months or even years.
• Level of expertise required: Unlike humanitarian travel, no specific skills are required for voluntourism.
• Supervision: Humanitarian trips are supervised by NGOs or international aid programmes, while voluntourism is generally organised by private operators.

In a nutshell, humanitarian travel is undertaken by professionals or volunteers who want to make a long-term commitment to a social or environmental undertaking. The aim of voluntourism, on the other hand, is to create meaningful travel memories while fulfilling your desire to get involved in a cause.

Voluntourism has given rise to many enriching experiences since it came about in the 2000s – but it has also caused disappointment. While you may be going into it for all the right reasons, you might find that the private travel agencies you're dealing with see sustainable tourism through a different lens.

France Volontaires, the French platform for international exchanges and charity volunteering, operates under France’s Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. As a trusted organisation, these are the things they advise paying attention to when considering voluntourism:

• The saviour complex: Beware of voluntourism programmes that play on Western-inspired heroic fantasies, which can be out of touch with the reality on the ground.
• Paying to do voluntary work: A contradiction in terms? Beware of agencies that charge thousands for your good intentions.
• Lack of support: The organisation provides zero support, whether it’s during the booking process or at your destination.
• Mass volunteering providers: They sell schemes that have no lasting impact.
• Harmful consequences: Some projects are counter-productive and harmful to local communities and the environment.

Good to know: According to France Volontaires, 80% of children in the world who are presented as being orphans are not. In 2016, a UNICEF report highlighted a 75% increase in the number of orphanages in Cambodia between 2005 and 2010 – yet official studies showed a drastic reduction in the number of orphans in the country.

Rest assured, however. It's possible to find a travel programme that will make a positive difference – as long as you choose a reputable operator and ask the right questions.

Whether you want to get involved in a programme to protect biodiversity or support the education of underprivileged children, think carefully about why you want to do it. List all the situations that you would find disappointing once you reached your destination.

The level of transparency is a reliable indicator of trust. Scour the website of the project you’re interested in and assess the positive or negative long-term consequences. Are the communities really benefiting? Where is the money going? Is the project run in partnership with a local humanitarian organisation?

Imposter syndrome is a possibility when it comes to voluntourism. You don't want to feel useless when you’re out there. Make a list of all the skills you have that will benefit the project, both manual and intellectual. And make sure that your participation won’t take away from the communities at your destination. Could your tasks be done by a local worker?

While it is standard practice to pay for your transport costs, it is less usual to be asked to pay for the entire stay. A host organisation that asks you to fund your full board and lodging should set alarm bells ringing.

Trust organisations that work jointly with government bodies or NGOs, such as France Volontaires or Friends International. The more support you have, the better. Does the programme include an induction session or basic training? That's a good sign.

Good to know: Since 2021, describing paid-for, profit-making activities as voluntary work or volunteering, where the fees are not used to finance the initial project or to support general interest initiatives, has been considered a misleading practice and is punishable by law.

Doing your bit to help can be as simple as choosing where to stay. Hotels can contribute to sustainable hospitality by working with a local charity to promote inclusion or by setting up an endowment fund to overcome social division, for example. As an individual, you can select hotels that play a part in their local community or advocate programmes to protect natural ecosystems and biodiversity. By consciously choosing accommodation aligned with your values, you can travel with peace of mind – perhaps to destinations accessible by train. There are eco-certified hotels taking part in community-driven initiatives all over the world.

The good news is that you don't have to travel to the other side of the world to find an eco-friendly establishment. In France, eco-certified greet hotels invite you to discover regional craftsmanship and promote local initiatives. Sofitel Marseille Vieux Port has partnered with the non-profit organisation Planète Mer to get people to help collate an inventory of the biodiversity along France’s coastline by sharing photos on the Biolit app. The photos are then sent off to the Dinard Marine Station for analysis. At Mercure Bordeaux Centre Gare Atlantic, the Solid'Air initiative gives an underprivileged family the chance to enjoy an all-expenses-paid holiday once a month. And Novotel is helping to protect our seas and oceans, with hotels supporting vital marine conservation projects. These involve restoring the Neptune grass that grows in the Mediterranean Sea, protecting sea turtles around the world, and locating and removing plastic that pollutes the seabed.

These are just some of the ways hotels are taking sustainable action. Why not be a part of it when you choose where to book your next stay?